Anchor and clip for rails and the like



F. W. COOPER AND H. STEADWORTHY.

ANCHOR AND CLIP FOR RAILS AND THE LIKE. APPLiCATlON FILED D EC,1, I921.

L fifl, PatentedJuly H, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

m M N N W N A in!!! m i Q N 5 i 1 f Awe/7mm I 1 i Francis /W. oaper y ,sI

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F. W. COOPER AND H. STEADWORTHY.

ANCHOR AND CLIP FOR RAILS AND THE LIKE. APPLICM ION FILED DEC; 1. 1921.

qggsw. Patented my 11,1921

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

STATES PATENT @FFHQE.

FRANCIS W. COOPER AND HENRY STEADWORTHY, OF MONTREAL, QUEBEC, CANADA.

ANCHOR AND CLIP FOR RAILS AN D THE LIKE.

inaaaao.

Application filed December 1, 1921.

anchors or clips to hold a lrail, frog or the 7 like to a base plate,rail plate or other structure.

The primary object is to provide an anchor 0r clip applicable ,to astandard tie plate to connect a rail thereto and tend to hold the railagainst longitudinal movement relatively to the plate.

A further object is to provide a device which will not become loosenedby vibration nor' by wave movement of the rail due to a train movingthereover.

A still further object is to provide a device a simple form, small sizeand light weight which may be easily and cheaply manufactured and soldat low cost.

Another object is to provide a device which may be easily assembled onor removed from a rail, but which will be substantially proof againstremoval by an accidental blow. 7

Still another object is to provide a device which may be assembled apartfrom a rail or plate without foreign connecting means, so as tobehandled as a unit in transport and distribution and which may be easilyand quickly taken apart for application to a rail.

An additional object is to provide a device which may be attachedwithout the use of special tools other than those ordinarily used intrack laying.

One more object is to provide a device which is applicable withoutadjustment to practically all sizes of rails or at least to a very widerange of sizes.

The invention comprises a resilient plate or clip of any suitable formadapted to bear downwardly on the base of a rail and on the platecarrying the rail, a hook member to engage both the clip and the railsupporting plate, and an adjustable key to secure the hook and cliptogether.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jiily'ilil, 1922.

Serial No. 519,201.

In the following description and accompanying drawings, the invention isdescrlbed and shown only in connection with a rail and a tie plate butit will be understood that this is purely for purposes of explanationand is in no way limitative, as the invention has a much widerapplication.

In the drawings which illustrate the application of the invention to arail and tie plate Fig. 1 is an end elevation.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the anchor in positiolp.

ig. 4 is a bottom plan View plate alone.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of an alterna tive form.

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the form shown in Figure 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 11 designates a tie plateof any suitable pattern provided with holes 12 for the passage of spikes13 to secure the plate to a tie and also to hold the rail down on theplate.

According to the present invention, the anchor or clip comprises a plateor strip 14 of spring steel bent intermediate its ends, as at 15,roughly to U-shape, to provide a long arm 16 and a short arm 17. The endof the clip in the arm 17 is notched out inof the clip 'termed iate theside edges providing an opening 18 and the metal displaced in formingthis notch is turned away from the arm 16 to form a tongue 19substantially normal to the arm 17. The arm 16 is provided with anopening 20, the innermost edge of which substantially aligns with thebottom of the notch 18. The clip arm 16 is not necessarily straight butmay be provided with a slight initial curvature located preferablymidway betweenv the inner and outer edges of the notch 20, as clearlyshown in Figure 1.

The short arm 17 of the clip plate is adapted to lie upon a tie plate,with the tongue 19 depending through a spike hole of the plate, and theend portion of the arm 16 is adapted to lie upon the upper surface of arail base.

In order to secure the plate 14 in position, a double hook member 21 isprovided having at one end a spear-shaped end portion 22 having what maybe termed barbs 23 and latter with the lower extremity of the tongue 19.The body of the member 21 is of such thickness that when lying closeagainst the tongue 19, the two will just fill a spike hole 12. The bodyof the hook member passes through the inner portion of the opening 20 ina substantially Vertical direction and is then turned upon itself at 25to provide a depending arm or hook 26, the extremity of which passesthrough the outer portion'of the openlng 20 and into or substantiallyinto engagement with the upper surface of a rail base. The tongue 19 andhook member 21 are of such width that they completely fill the spikehole 12. It will be observed that the barb or hook 23 projects aconsiderable distance under the tie plate and so obtains avery goodgrip, the security of which is assured by the tongue 19 filling thespike hole and preventing the hook member backing away from the plate.

The hook and clip are connected and held in place by a wedge-shaped key27, both long edges of which are rounded transversely of the key, aswill be clearly seen in Fi re 1. The upper edge of the key is. providedwith a plurality of uniformly spaced shallow notches 28, whichco-operate with the slight curvature of the member 21 at the bend 25inthe driving direction of the key,

which curvature it is well understood will follow naturally fromthebending of the member 21 or which ma 'be specially provided during theformatlon of the bend 25.

The modified form of the invention shown in. Figures 5 and 6 differsfrom the form already described chiefly in the shape of the clipmember.The long arm of this member,

designated 16*, is substantially the same as in the previously describedform but the short arm 17, instead of lying approximately parallel withthe .long arm, is disposed approximately at right anglesthereto and isin end abuttmg relation with the tie plate. Owing to the differentdisposition ofthe arm 17*, there can be no tongue tOIllOld the hookmember in. position. This is efl'ect ed by meansof a special spike 19driven through the hole 12 in the plate outside the hook member. Thehook member itself is of the same form as previously described, exceptthat it lacks the second bar 24. v The key is exactly the same aspreviously de scribed. In the event that it is desired to provide aspecial tie plate and to use a standard spike in plane of the spike 19,the arm 17 may be bifurcated at its end, as at 29, to make provision forthe spike head unless of course the arm 17 is positioned a suflicientdistance from the spike hole to give clearance for the spike head. 0

The application of the device is extremely simple. A tie plate and railbeing in 081- tion, the hook member is driven own through the selectedspike hole until the extremity. of the hook 26 engages or substantiallyengages the top of the rail base. The sharpened point of the membermakes this driving a very easy matter. The hook member is now movedtoward the rail, so as to engage the barb or hook 23 thereof under thetie plate. This movement is effected by driving a spike into the spikehole on the opposite side of the hook member from the rail. The inclinedsurface of the hook 23 forces the same up against the tie plate duringthe lateral movement. In the ,case of the standard spike replacing itwill serve to move the hook member as desired. The clip plate is nowdropped over the hook member, so that it bears at one end on the top ofthe rail base and at the opposite end on the tie plate at each side ofthe spike hole. In the form shown in Figure 1, the. tongue 19 drops intothe spike hole outside the hook member and holds the hook member inposition, the chamfer 29 on the end ofthe tongue facilitating'itsinsertion and eliminating any downwardly presented surface which mightbear against a tie and resist downward movement of the clip. In the caseof the form shown in Figure 1, the relation of the arms 16 and 17 to oneanother 'is preferably such that the bearing above The ke isnow-inserted small end first between t e bend or loop 25 and the plateand with its notched edge remote from the plate.

The key is now driven as tightly as desired and, by the wedging actionwhich it exerts, presses down on the clip plate and draws up on the hookmember. This pressarms and the surfaces which-they engage. I

ing down of the plate flexes the same, so that i it obtains asubstantial surface bearing on the rail base at the extremity of thelong arm and, in the case of the form shown in Figure 1, anequally'substantial bearing on arm. It will readily be seen that in thistightening action, substantially the whole length of the plate is flexedand is active as a spring. The'upward pull on the hook member draws itsbarb 23 very tightly .against the under surface of the tie plate.

The operation of the devic as a clip or anchor is as follows ;Thedownward pressure of the cli holds the same very tightly to therail anat the same time holds the rail down on the tie plate, while'the hookthe tie plate at the extremity of its short member holds the cli to thetie aw The resilient nature of the clip, which permits it to flexslightly, avoids breakage due to vibration, sudden shocks or wave motionin the rail and, by reason of this resiliency, the clip remains always.in tight engagement with the rail. The hook member holds the clipagainst movement relatively to the tie plate in the longitudinaldirection of the rail and the frictional engagement bet-ween the clipand rail tends to hold the rail against the longitudinal movementimparted to it py a. moving train or from other causes.

hen the key is driven tight, the tongue 19 or the spike 19* holds thebarb 23 a ainst backing away from and disengaging t e tie plate, whileat the same time the engagement of the hook 26 in the clip opening 20prevents the hOOk'fIOIlI being opened by the tension. '11:" the clipshould break, the extremity of this hook 26 will constitute a holdingdown member for the rail and the hook member a connection; between therail and tie plate. The head 22 of the hook member is prevented frombending or tipping with consequent tendency to disengage its barb 23from the tie plate, by reason of the engagement of the barb 24 under thetongue 19; This engagement also provides for the tensioning or flexingof the clip plate between the two ends of .the hook member, so that thedevice may be assembled and handled as a unit in transportation anddistribution. The notches on the upper edge of the key serve to hold-thekey against backing out and also serve as a guide to indicate how farthe key should be driven for different sizes of rails. The resiliency ofthe clip plate renders the device adjustable to a wide range of railsizes, so that the device may beused on practically any size of rail ingeneral use. Preferably, however,

, placement bya chance blow in the line of,

with a. view to securing thebest results, the device will b8? made in avariety of sizes. The difference in the device for difl'erent sizes ofrails may be confined to the key member '27 but, if unusually thin orthick plates are used under the rail, it will of.

course be necessary to provide a special hook member but, under ordinarycircumstances, the hook member may be standard. for all sizes. It willbe understood, however, that the variation may be efiected in otherways.

The advantages of the. device are numerous and will be manifest toanyone skilled in the art. It will be apparent thatthe load is disposedsymmetrically and equally on both sides of the spike hole, so

that the hook member is supported on both sides by the clip plate and isnot liable to disthe rail or by the driving of the key; The deviceprovides a connection between {a rail or the like and which is rigid forall practical pu but plate thereunder The device may be applied toexisting construction quite as easlly as to new construction. The devicewhen applied on the inside of a rail will replace one of the spikes, asit holds the rail so securely to the plate that the plate becomessubstantially a part of the base and the centre of oscillation is movedfrom the outside edge of the rail base to the outside edge of the plate,with the obvious result that a great additional upsetting force isnecessary to tilt the rail outwardly.

While the invention has been shown and described as embodied in aconstruction in which the hook member turns inwardly at the top andbottom to overhang the rail base and underlie the rail support beneaththe rail and in which the hook member passes through the plate, it willbe understood that, while this arrangement is preferable, it is notessential and therefore that the invention contemplates the dispositionof the hook member otherwise than passing through the plate and also theturning of the hooks otherwise than shown. The clip. or anchor has beenillustrated as applied on the inner side of a rail but this is notobligatory and the clip may be used on the outer side if desired.Furthermore, while the device has been designed primarily for use as arail anchor or clip, its use is not thus limited but the device may beapplied to many other things where either temporary or quick releasefastenings are required beween any two objects which may be connected bya device of this 7 construction.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is z- I 1. A deviceofthe class described, comprising a member booked at both ends to engageat one end under a plate and at the other end to overlie a rail base,and means to hold said hook membenin position.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a member hooked at bothends to.

engage at one end under a plate and at the other end with a positioningand holding means, and apositioning means to beinterposed between saidsecond end and a rail ase.

3. A device of the class described comthe positioning means is adaptedfor supporting engagement at its ends on said plate and on a rail base,respectively. 7

5. A device according to claim 3, in which the positioning means isadapted to be teniao sioned between its ends supported respectively onthe plate and on a rail base, and the key. 7

6. A device of the class described, com.- prising an apertured clipadapted to rest at its ends on a rail base and rail supportrespectively, means engageable with the rail support passing through theclip aperture, and a key insertable between said means and the clip tohold the clip down on the rail support and rail base.

7. A device of the class described, for use I ing to claim 14, anextension at the] second with a rail and an apertured rail support,

{ comprising a clip adapted to rest at its ends on the rail and the railsupport respectively, and means insertable through the. support apertureengageable with the under side of the support, and a key formed to bedriven between the clip and said means to, press the clip down on therail and support.

8. A device of the class described, comprising a plate adapted to besupported at its ends, a hook ember',.,and akey adapted to be drivenbetween thevhook member and the plate intermediate the ends thereof.

9. A device according to claim 8, in which the plate is apertured forpassage of the book member.

10. A device according to claim 8, in which the plateis apertured forreception of the hook member and its point whereby the hook will be heldagainst opening under tension. i 11. A device of the class described,comprising an apertured plate, a bar passing throughthe plate and bentupon itself to U-shape, the body and end of the bar being both locatedin the plate aperture, and a key 'driven between the bend of the barandsaid plate.

12. A device of the class described comprising an apertured plate, a barpassing through the plate aperture and bent to pro- ,vide a .hook facingthe plate, and a key driven between the plate and bar hook.-

13. In combination with a device according to claim 12, an extension onsaid hook paralleling the bar and at its end entering support and hookedat the opposite end for engagement with a key, and a key adapted to bedriven between the second hooked end and the plate intermediate the endsthereof. 1

15 In combination with a device accordhooked end of the bar to hold thekey in place.

16. A device according to claim 14, in which the plate is apertured forpassage of the bar, in combination with an extension at the secondhookedend of the barentering the plate aperture.

17. A device according to claim 14, in which the support is aperturedfor passage of the bar, in combination with means to hold the barinhooking engagement with the support.

18. A device according to claim 14, in wh'ch the support is aperturedfor passage of the bar, in combination with means insertable in thesupport aperture to hold the 21,,A device according to claim 14, in

which the key is notched in that edge engaging the bar hook and the barhook formed for engagement in said notches to releasably lock the key. v

In witness whereof, we have hereunto setour hands; I

FRANCIS W. COOPER. HENRY STEADWORTHY.

Certificate of Correction It is hereby certified that in Letters PatentNo. 1,422,340, granted July 11, 1922, v upon the application of Ih'ancis W. Cooper and Henry Steadworthy, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada,for an improvement in Anchors and Clips for Rails and the like, errorsappear in the printed specification requiring correction as follows:Page 1, line 17, strike out the word tend and line 18 after the wordrail insert the words under ordinary conditions; page 3, lines 11 and12, strike out the words tends to hold the rail against the and insertinstead is suflicient to hold the Mil under ordinary conditions againstthe tendency to; and that the said Letters Patent should be readwiththese corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of thecasein the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 19th day of Septemher, A. D., 1922.

m WM. A. KINNAN,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

